The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1887-05-08
THE UNDERGROUND MAIL.

III J
looked up from his great political manu-
script and spoke,
s'Graudchild, don't notice it. Remem-
berthe saying that whoever writes anony
nous letters must have come anonymous.
The underbred send them TO the lawful
bred"
Here am /, grandpa, described as still
in love with Mark Hanson, aud most in
innate things related of the period of my
engagement 10 him. | showed them to
Dave. and asked him if he had received
any such letters. lie confessed that be
had, but would net let me see them. /
shall tel him to-day, that until he dis
covers their author | will mol be his wife.
It is the duty of a spirited man to un
cover the slanderer of his betrothed.
You would do it if you were still young"
Poor CARTEL though | have fought
my duels on less matters than that, in the
Z days when l edited our political organ, |
never would give an underhand CORE
! spondeut dignity enough to trace him or
her out. You can't suspect Mark Hanson;
but whom else have you otfendedY
mo, always found him the man of
honor But it is the nature of these
ANONYMOUS letters TO make us suspicious
of everybody. Granny, l shall take a
desperate remedy You go on with your
memoirsl
AS she called for her saddle mare to
ride over the mountain, the poor old
colonel wiped his spectacles of film and
his eyes of tears, and resumed the com
position of his never finished book On the
times of Robert Goodlee Harper.
Dear Carrier he exclaimed aloud.
"She is my last unmarried grandchid,
and | believe they all received anony-
nous letters. 1t must be disease of
society"
From her grandfathers hermitage, in
tie barrow Pleasant Valley Carrie was
soon bounding along the rills of lsraeps
creek and up through the chestnut
wooded slopes Of the great South Noun
tain, fearless of man or beast so tEat her
bloodhound followed along with her;
and as she urped the crest of the road in
the gap and overlook the mail buggy
where the great prospect Of Catoetin
Valley stretched below and afar, she saw
her smiable hound as quick as any coach
dog, running between the mail buggy's
wheels.
Mark Hanson had given her that dog
in the days when she thought she loved
z him.
1t was the only present she had not re-
turned, because Negrofoot, as tue hound
was named-from his former use in
chasing slaves-had been her gallant too,
making the wild mountain paths safe and
sociabe to Carrie as the streets of Mar
tinburg, where she had been reared. Her
Grandfather, who had been editor and
official at the capital of his State, lost
heart ana faith after the great convulsion
of the war, and took little patch Of
patrimonial property among the noun
,tains to get pure air and indite his recol-
lectious.
There, Carrie, an orphan child, who
had never looked with sentiment on man
before, fell in love and cured it by loving
twice.
She had found when plain, dutiful,
store keeping Dave Hi2htman came
around her the explanati on OF her fire.
quent fallings out with Mark Hanson, his
friend
Ii was that she had never been truly in
love with Mark, but only infatuated.
She was now TODD an act as impetuous
as her first love, and her frank rebellion
against 1T and the clustering village she
had heheld from the mountain top was
soon ecboing with the hoofs of her sad
die mare. Entering place of business
there,..she confronted plain but beaming
young man at the business desk, who
cried:
Why, CARTEL"
Here SIR, is another of those letters.
What have you done about them?'
Nothing, though have also had a
third one They contain nothing tangi-
bic, nothing | could believe. Why let
them worry us, my darling whcn they
create no prejudice between us? Some
woman, dare say, -
David Hightman, I will not be pa
tent 1t is not my family's way, They
resented and detected Toes If society,
such as wnte these letters.
Carrie, much as l. love you will not
quarrel or fight for you. The long life OF
faith and household joy | eXDect to spend
With you must not be Interrupted by
every underloned remark some gossip
may make and every unacknowledged
letter sent to us. | am a peaceful COM
municant of the church, and The vow
made to it to do the works of peace and
not of wrath 1 shall keep like the VOW |
made to you Of pure healt and pure
life
Then sir, shall find one who will
defend me-Malk Hanson. | am gong
there at once"
Hold on, Carried l will go there with
YOU
He overlook her at the end CT town and
she Eel! his PASSIVE moral authority which
! had both conquered and exasperaled her,
as ne rode at her side.
Bred among some of the old pieists
non-resistant German sects, David had
an influence above courage in his steady,
tranquil, yet deep nature, where love
,could lie like trout poised in the brook,
.atperfect rest, with all its 2races and all
its gameness.
Mark Hightman came out from his